BajaNomad - VAQUITA NEARLY EXTINCT - 100 LEFT

VAQUITA NEARLY EXTINCT - 100 LEFT

Aqsurfer - 8-3-2014 at 09:44 PM

Hola Nomads,

Horrible news from the Alto Golfo. Here is the link to an AP story.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/china-bladd...

Peace,
Aaron

BajaRat - 8-3-2014 at 11:08 PM

Super Suck :no:

This is so sad, can you imagine how long it took for them to adapt to the Northern Sea Of Cortez and in our brief history there.... WIPED OUT :fire:

Know your enemy !
The bladder of the totoaba is prized by Chinese chefs, who use it to make soups and other dishes. According to the Smithsonian Institution’s website, one totoaba bladder can attract a $5,000 payoff in the United States, and more than $10,000 in Asia.

[Edited on 8-4-2014 by BajaRat]

[Edited on 8-4-2014 by BajaRat]

redhilltown - 8-3-2014 at 11:59 PM

Gill netters... The Sea of Cortez is controlled by only one country: Mexico. Not many places on this planet where this happens. They could control it, close it down, patrol it if they wanted to.

But they don't...and it really is a shame.

Aqsurfer - 8-4-2014 at 09:49 AM

Hola BajaRat and redhilltown,

Your comments are right on the money. This incredible cetacean is in all likelihood about to go extinct on Mexico's/our watch. The females die in captivity and are only capable of giving birth every second year. The estimation of 25 female exemplars means that genetic diversity is for all purposes non-existent. The decline of the Vaquita and Totoaba have taken place in a marine protected area expressly established to protect them, the Alto Golfo Biosphere. Viva Mexico!

There is one more card to play and that would be a complete ban on fishing in the Alto Golfo. I am not confident that the key players are willing to take this step but hope springs eternal.

Finally, I would like to invite Nomads to attend a lecture I will be presenting on Saturday August 16 10am at the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve in Imperial Beach. The lecture title is: The Fall of the Sea of Cortez. The TJ Estuary is located at:

301 Caspian Way
Imperial Beach, CA 91932
619.575.3613

http://trnerr.org/walks-talks/

Hope to see you there.
Peace,
Aaron

woody with a view - 8-4-2014 at 10:04 AM

we'll try to be there Aaron.

bajajudy - 8-4-2014 at 10:07 AM

A few years ago we had a Whaler that we named Vaquita in their honor.
Most of the locals thought it meant little cow. When we explained what it was, they didn't know that they were in danger of extinction.

last 100

captkw - 8-4-2014 at 10:31 AM

This past spring on the local FM (kpig) radio station were running adds about saving them...but they stopped running them for some reason ? I have never seen one..only pics...when will the sea of "cortez" get some protection ?? I have in my short life watched as the sealife disappear...sad!!

bajabuddha - 8-4-2014 at 11:27 AM

I've posted this on other threads in the past; one thing must be considered when discussing the loss of marine life in the Sea of Cortez: the destruction of the Colorado River ecosystem.

It's taken a full 100 years now, but the damming of the C. River has completely destroyed the nutrient-rich effluence that made the Sea of Cortez what it HAD become for thousands of years. Granted, the introduction of man with boats, nets and long-lines has taken a huge toll as well. I don't refute that at all, but it's a proven stated fact that just the loss of the River nutrients and the complete annihilation of the Colorado Estuary Delta system has created a 30% loss of TOTAL MARINE LIFE across the board in the upper Sea, even greater in the northern reaches.

The original Delta estuary was home to millions of sea birds and a myriad of riparian life, with great flocks of even flamingos! Now, brackish salt grass, alkali and nothing living, compared to a mere 100 years ago. Early Spanish explorers could sail the river all the way north to almost current Las Vegas. Flows of 1 MILLION cubic feet per second have been estimated by the original river system.

There is NO turning back on that now. There's no changing it, even though recently they did a little 'push' of water down the lower river just to stir up the mud a little. Future plans? All parties involved, not just Mexico, but International fishing vessels all have to concede the current state of plight and blight, and set new laws, regulations and limits accordingly, and Mexico above all must enforce them.

To that, all I can say is, ROTSA RUCK.

bacquito - 8-5-2014 at 03:19 PM

Interesting reading. I have a place in Yuma and somewhat aware of the delta estuary. When the All American canal was constructed that caused a dramatic drop in water from the Col. River to Sea of Cortez. However, we do provide water to the estuary south of San Luis via a canal from the Welton area as I recall.
Sad to hear of the vaquito situation.

[Edited on 8-5-2014 by bacquito]

David K - 8-5-2014 at 03:52 PM

Both the American use of water and Mexican use of water produces some of the richest sources of year-round food and cotton supplies, in the Imperial and Mexicali valleys. The Colorado River does feed and clothe the world, and if it's use did cause species extinction, then it is not the first time nor nearly as dramatic as it the past when the river stopped flowing to the gulf all together (more than once) for many years.

Perhaps the vaquita is simply not in that region anymore or the shrimp netters are the cause of the population decline? The Hoover Dam is close to 80 years old and the vaquita wasn't even discovered until after it had dammed the river for 20 years...

I am not advocating anything more than to collect all the data and explore all the possibilities before blaming America (or Mexico).

bajabuddha - 8-5-2014 at 04:00 PM

Yes, David the American Patriot; we do. We use it ALL up. What little goes to Mexico is stopped for agriculture at the Morenos dam just south of the border. From there on, nada. A trickle, and highly polluted by all our run-off. In your wonderful State is the New River by El Centro, and it is the most polluted river in the country. Border Patrol will not enter the waters chasing illegals for fear of contamination and disease/poisoning.

Mass extinctions don't take minutes or days, sometimes years, even hundreds of years. In the 80 years of damn dams, the loss of life in northern Sea of Cortez is irrefutable and indisputable. Ain't like 'global warming' climate change you like to soap-box about. It's a done deal. Ain't Obammy's fault, or tree-huggers, or lib-tards, or Junior's. It's HUMAN'S FAULT. We grew too much.

Stick to maps and missions.

Mexitron - 8-5-2014 at 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajabuddha
I've posted this on other threads in the past; one thing must be considered when discussing the loss of marine life in the Sea of Cortez: the destruction of the Colorado River ecosystem.

It's taken a full 100 years now, but the damming of the C. River has completely destroyed the nutrient-rich effluence that made the Sea of Cortez what it HAD become for thousands of years. Granted, the introduction of man with boats, nets and long-lines has taken a huge toll as well. I don't refute that at all, but it's a proven stated fact that just the loss of the River nutrients and the complete annihilation of the Colorado Estuary Delta system has created a 30% loss of TOTAL MARINE LIFE across the board in the upper Sea, even greater in the northern reaches.

The original Delta estuary was home to millions of sea birds and a myriad of riparian life, with great flocks of even flamingos! Now, brackish salt grass, alkali and nothing living, compared to a mere 100 years ago. Early Spanish explorers could sail the river all the way north to almost current Las Vegas. Flows of 1 MILLION cubic feet per second have been estimated by the original river system.

There is NO turning back on that now. There's no changing it, even though recently they did a little 'push' of water down the lower river just to stir up the mud a little. Future plans? All parties involved, not just Mexico, but International fishing vessels all have to concede the current state of plight and blight, and set new laws, regulations and limits accordingly, and Mexico above all must enforce them.

To that, all I can say is, ROTSA RUCK.

Actually the Colorado River Delta has been subject to alternating cycles of flow and drought over the millenia as the river has often changed its course to drain alternately into the Salton Sink area (the last time it created Lake Cahuilla, that is, before we filled it ourselves in 1905 by accident) and the Sea of Cortez. Just a little factoid, none of which undermines the urgency to get the SOC back from the brink.

bajabuddha - 8-5-2014 at 04:03 PM

Mexitron, are you referring to the Salton Sea? That was a monumental flub by the Corps of Engineers under the Mulholland Plan in the original diverting of canal water (as you say, by accident). And yes, the Colorado has been diverting for millennia. All rivers have. 13,000 years ago was the end of the Pleistocene Ice Age, and all water flows in the American Continent were different.

David K - 8-5-2014 at 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajabuddha
Yes, David the American Patriot; we do. We use it ALL up. What little goes to Mexico is stopped for agriculture at the Morenos dam just south of the border. From there on, nada. A trickle, and highly polluted by all our run-off. In your wonderful State is the New River by El Centro, and it is the most polluted river in the country. Border Patrol will not enter the waters chasing illegals for fear of contamination and disease/poisoning.

Mass extinctions don't take minutes or days, sometimes years, even hundreds of years. In the 80 years of damn dams, the loss of life in northern Sea of Cortez is irrefutable and indisputable. Ain't like 'global warming' climate change you like to soap-box about. It's a done deal. Ain't Obammy's fault, or tree-huggers, or lib-tards, or Junior's. It's HUMAN'S FAULT. We grew too much.

Stick to maps and missions.

Did you read my last line? "I am not advocating anything more than to collect all the data and explore all the possibilities before blaming America (or Mexico)."

Or are facts not at all important to you... I bet you believe in man made global warming and the sea levels are rising dramatically in our lifetime? I can remember the rock shelf road along Bahia Concepcion in 1966, and driving in the sea water on it at high tide in places... You know what? I can still drive on those parts of it at high tide, almost 50 years later... Why is that?

David K - 8-5-2014 at 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajabuddha
Mexitron, are you referring to the Salton Sea? That was a monumental flub by the Corps of Engineers under the Mulholland Plan in the original diverting of canal water (as you say, by accident). And yes, the Colorado has been diverting for millennia. All rivers have. 13,000 years ago was the end of the Pleistocene Ice Age, and all water flows in the American Continent were different.

So who do you blame or increase taxes on for those river changes?

Change happens, and it is natural.

mtgoat666 - 8-5-2014 at 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K

Quote:

Because you ability to understand even simplistic science writing written for laymen is blinded by your politics. That's why!

Re waiting to collect and analyze more data,... There are only 100 individuals left, no time to delay.

rts551 - 8-5-2014 at 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K

Quote:

The data has been collected. If you would take your head out of.... you would have been aware of this for quiet some time. The greed for water has taken precedent over saving these species.

bajabuddha - 8-5-2014 at 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K

Quote:

So who do you blame or increase taxes on for those river changes?

Change happens, and it is natural.

I don't BLAME anyone, David. i'll leave that up to you, Rush, and Glenn Beck.

Stick to maps and missions. That's your mission.

Better yet, RUN FOR OFFICE AND STFU. GET ON A BALLOT.

DOOOOO SOMETHING. gawd.

redhilltown - 8-6-2014 at 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K

Quote:

So who do you blame or increase taxes on for those river changes?

Change happens, and it is natural.

Change happens. Well yeah, it did for millions of years. Problem being A) a huge percentage of people on DK's side believe the world is only a few thousand years old and B) this "change" never happened with seven BILLION people on this planet.

If you want to be on the side of Ken Ham and Sarah Palin go right ahead...but don't expect anyone to listen to you that still has a thinking brain...

SFandH - 8-6-2014 at 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K

I am not advocating anything more than to collect all the data and explore all the possibilities before blaming America (or Mexico).

The facts are here. Data collection has been going on for years.

http://www.iucn-csg.org/index.php/vaquita/

The article indicates that Mexico has worked hard to save this species but the Chinese pay so much for them it's been a losing battle.

If you want to blame someone, it's the Chinese and their eating disorders that result in horrendous slaughters of marine species.

Totoaba Poaching Arrests

bajaguy - 8-6-2014 at 06:47 AM

From ensenada.net
Article posted August 5, 2014
by Karla Lorena Lamas

By attempting to smuggle a shipment of Totoaba, with an estimated value on the black market for between 35 and 60 thousand dollars, two subjects received formal arrest by the Third District Court located in Baja California.

The specimens are listed in the NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010 Category endangered, however, the demand for this product is high because attributed alleged aphrodisiac properties.

On July 20, the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) arrested four suspected smugglers transporting fresh shipment of six dead specimens seven steaks, and 12 swish, taken in Caracol fishing camp located south of the port of San Felipe. Our final destination was the Asian market.

The investigations locate those responsible and stop them when they fled overland in a trailer and dragged the boat carrying the team poaching as a network of 600 meters long, a network of silk 150 meters long, both Special mesh ten inch Totoaba.

Those arrested were referred to the Federal Public Ministry, where one of them was credited with false identity, but to corroborate official data proved to be located by the court as a recidivist in this kind of illegal.

In a statement reiterated that Totoaba Profepa macdonaldi is endemic to the northern Gulf of California or Sea of Cortés, which, due to overexploitation, its population dwindled alarmingly up dangerously close to near extinction; therefore decree became a protected species.

airmech - 8-6-2014 at 08:13 AM

Mexico tries hard to stop things??? This is how mexico tries hard to stop things. Refer to this post "Can anybody stop the madness??" under Baja fishing and hunting. Read those posts and tell me again how hard Mexico tries.

http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=74770

SFandH - 8-6-2014 at 08:18 AM

http://www.iucn-csg.org/index.php/vaquita/

"The Mexican Government has made an enormous economic and political investment in supporting vaquita conservation. To date, about 26 million USD has been spent to reduce fishing effort in a region where fishing is the main economic activity. This has been accomplished via buy-out/rent-out, improved surveillance and enforcement, providing socioeconomic alternatives to fishermen, and testing alternative fishing gear. However, despite these efforts, about 600 artisanal boats (pangas) continue to fish with gillnets within the range of the vaquita. Given the critically small size of the vaquita population, time is running out. Unless bycatch is completely eliminated by banning entangling nets throughout the species’ range, the vaquita will soon join the baiji as a second cetacean species to be rendered extinct by human actions."

airmech - 8-6-2014 at 09:25 AM

So what would you suggest the people who are in the the post above try to do. This is going on right now as we speak. Long lines, turtles caught up in them, no one to report it to. Its nice to state statitics listed in an article but its action that counts. Guess we just have to wait for 100 dorado to be left before invovlement occurs.

bajaguy - 8-6-2014 at 09:28 AM

For starters, the Mexican Navy could get involved. If they are going to be out driving around, they might as well do something productive

Quote:

Originally posted by airmech
So what would you suggest the people who are in the the post above try to do. This is going on right now as we speak. Long lines, turtles caught up in them, no one to report it to. Its nice to state statitics listed in an article but its action that counts. Guess we just have to wait for 100 dorado to be left before invovlement occurs.

SFandH - 8-6-2014 at 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by airmech
So what would you suggest the people who are in the the post above try to do.

The scientists that wrote this report:

http://www.iucn-csg.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Report-of...

say:

"Unless bycatch is completely eliminated by banning entangling nets throughout the species’ range, the vaquita will soon join the baiji as a second cetacean species to be rendered extinct by human actions."

I have no idea about the likelihood of successfully banning "entangling nets" throughout the vaquita's range.

[Edited on 8-6-2014 by SFandH]

Tioloco - 8-6-2014 at 10:40 AM

Things we can do:
1- Work seriously on cost effective ocean desalinization.
2- Be serious about desalinization.
3- Stop sapping the Colorado River and start supplying California and elsewhere with desalinated Pacific Ocean water.

VERY simple. We are spending billions on solar energy that is ultimately a joke. Companies go out of business and cant support there product for the long term.

WATER is more important than the ever elusive feel good green energy projects.

Seems simple enough.

SFandH - 8-6-2014 at 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tioloco
Things we can do:
1- Work seriously on cost effective ocean desalinization.
2- Be serious about desalinization.
3- Stop sapping the Colorado River and start supplying California and elsewhere with desalinated Pacific Ocean water.

VERY simple. We are spending billions on solar energy that is ultimately a joke. Companies go out of business and cant support there product for the long term.

WATER is more important than the ever elusive feel good green energy projects.

Seems simple enough.

What does any of that have to do with the subject of the thread?

Tioloco - 8-6-2014 at 10:49 AM

Restoring fresh water to the delta.

Trying to do something about our contribution to the problem, instead of saying Mexico should stop it.
Mexico is never going to have that as their priority when the majority of their people are living at their level. Basic necessities are far more important than to worry about some fish...... Just the way it is.

Cypress - 8-6-2014 at 10:53 AM

Saw 4 manatees today, very neat creatures. Making a comeback? Never saw any before. Vaquita? Wish 'em luck.

Tioloco - 8-6-2014 at 10:55 AM

SF &H-

I live in the area and see that Mexicos enforcement of illegal anything in the upper sea of cortez is a sad joke. Unfortunately, we may lose this species soon, but if we don't get serious about our water sources north of the border.... This is going to be the first of many.

SFandH - 8-6-2014 at 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tioloco
Restoring fresh water to the delta.

Trying to do something about our contribution to the problem, instead of saying Mexico should stop it.
Mexico is never going to have that as their priority when the majority of their people are living at their level. Basic necessities are far more important than to worry about some fish...... Just the way it is.

OK but the problem is fishermen supplying the Chinese, who are creating the demand and bycatch in nets. Restore all the fresh water you want, but the problem won't go away, according the scientists studying the problem.

Interesting how you connected solar energy and ocean desalination with the extinction of this species.

Tioloco - 8-6-2014 at 11:09 AM

I guess living on the east shore of the colorado river, the sky is a different blue for me.

Tioloco - 8-6-2014 at 11:22 AM

Is anyone else noticing a pattern? Our trade relationship with China has given their average citizen expendible income like never before. Leading to them coming to the sea of cortez last year and buying up all of the jellyfish they could get. Vaquita and other species are surely just the start. Literally buying tons and tons of jellyfish. Never seen that before. Is there a study that shows what the impact of that will be? There is no single answer to this problem. I was trying to point out that we (USA) aren't doing anything to make the situation any better.

Aqsurfer - 8-6-2014 at 11:49 AM

Hola Nomads,

Years ago Chris Johnson made a documentary about the Vaquita and it provides some great background and insight. For me the key segment is #6 Communities, where fishing cooperative president Miguel Reyes talks about the situation. Here is the link:

http://vaquita.tv/documentary/introduction/

The documentary and IUCN articles clearly demonstrate that the science/data is solid but the strategies regarding fishers (commercial & small-scale) did not generate the required buy-in from them. They are the key to this whole issue. There are a number of factors for this including the general Mexican distrust/hatred for government and its agencies, push-back by CONAPESCA, corruption, greed/the race for fish & shrimp, the need to fish by guys trying to play by the rules, and finally the lack of a deep understanding of fishers by the Mex government and NGOs. An example of the latter (lack of understanding) is what happened with the permit/equipment buy-back program. Fishers sold old pangas, barely running motors, and non-productive permits then used that money to buy new gear, including gill-nets. Armadores and phantom fishing cooperative owners took 70% of the program revenue. Commercial fishers, well you know.

As I mentioned earlier, the only card left to be played is a complete 3-5 year fishing ban (zero tolerance) followed by a new Vaquita population assessment. This ban must be initiated along with comprehensive alternatives to fishers - pay them a living salary to: 1. enroll in school (any grade level); 2. work on community development programs (build schools, clinics, parks/rec areas, fish hatcheries, wetland restoration etc); 3. enroll in existing eco-tourism/language/sustainable fisheries courses, 4. hire these guys to go out as vigilancia effort (zero fishing gear permitted on pangas), the list goes on and on.

In 2005, this was my recommendation to the key players. I was unable to get involved, at the time as I was leading the effort in Laguna San Ignacio. The key to the Vaquita's survival is to get the fishers to immediately stop by providing real alternatives to keep families alive. There is 100 left and for me, hope springs eternal. It is not going to be easy but it can be done.

Regarding what people can do about issues throughout the gulf -
Shari in the "Madness" thread hit it on the head with urging people to file a complaint with CONAPESCA at:

http://sidepi.conapesca.gob.mx:8080/PescaIlegal.jsp

or, let us Vince Radice and Aaron Quintanar at World's Aquarium know, we'll take it to them. Please take pictures/video, get boat names/#'s, gps coordinates, describe activity/gear sets/species, etc and send it to us.

vradice@gmail.com
Aqsurf@aol.com

Peace,
Aaron

BajaRat - 8-6-2014 at 09:30 PM

So glad you brought this plight back to the front page of people who love Baja.....
Half way through the video very moving.
Solution.. NO GILL NETS!!!!!!!!!!

Tioloco - 8-6-2014 at 09:34 PM

Not being sarcastic, but if you shut down fishing altogether.... how do the people survive? What do they do for a living?

redhilltown - 8-6-2014 at 11:26 PM

As to shutting down fishing, how many people are you talking about? Could you even imagine the jobs and the influx of money if San Felipe actually had viable sport fishing? There is nothing left there outside of some palm size Triggers and a few Corvina that make the wrong turn north.

[Edited on 8-7-2014 by redhilltown]

bajadogs - 8-7-2014 at 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaRat
NO GILL NETS!!!!!!!!!!

YEP!!!!

David K - 8-7-2014 at 09:30 AM

Isn't shrimping more destructive to other sea life?

LancairDriver - 8-7-2014 at 12:09 PM

So now the Cartels are getting involved. Diversifying it looks like.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2014/08/07/mexican-tra...

sancho - 8-7-2014 at 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K
Isn't shrimping more destructive to other sea life?

Very much so, have seen threads suggesting buying San Felipe
shrimp either by the kilo or in restaurants, the purchaser then
is helping create a market, becoming responsible for shrimp
trawler destructive fishing techniques. The sea floor is raked by the draggers, killing/disrupting everything in it's way.. Some
wrongly claim panga caught shrimp is a clean fishery, no so, there is by catch there too. One has to be on board with conservation/preservation, not just when posting PC opinions

David K - 8-7-2014 at 06:13 PM

So are you advocating we can't eat shrimp either, even though it is a legal food? Isn't there some shrimp farms trying to produce shrimp so it won't come from the sea anymore?

mtgoat666 - 8-7-2014 at 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K
So are you advocating we can't eat shrimp either, even though it is a legal food? Isn't there some shrimp farms trying to produce shrimp so it won't come from the sea anymore?

I generally avoid shrimp now. The wild shrimp trawl methods are harmful to the environment. The farm shrimp tastes like crap, and is often full of pesticides.

redhilltown - 8-8-2014 at 12:13 AM

Quote:

If this was 1955 would you argue the "legality" of serving the negro at the same counter as the white man? (not saying you would, just making the analogy.) If something is wrong, it is wrong. If you know what shrimping does to the ocean and you continue to eat it, that is your right...but it doesn't make it "right".

Shrimp farms-especially in Asia-are brutal and probably as bad overall as trawlers. There are some well run farms in Florida but from what my friends say, they often sell out quickly. Maybe some nomads could chime in on some good ones.

But I am glad all of this is being discussed...I am sure at least a few have gone to The Google and done some research as to fishing methods in the Sea of Cortez.

[Edited on 8-8-2014 by redhilltown]

Aqsurfer - 8-11-2014 at 01:54 PM

Hola Nomads,

New Vaquita article from the San Diego Union-Tribune. It recaps the situation and highlights the split between fishers for and against a possible gill-net ban. Also good maps of proposed ban area and photos.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/aug/10/vaquita-porpoise-...

Peace,
Aaron

David K - 8-11-2014 at 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Aqsurfer
Hola Nomads,

New Vaquita article from the San Diego Union-Tribune. It recaps the situation and highlights the split between fishers for and against a possible gill-net ban. Also good maps of proposed ban area and photos.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/aug/10/vaquita-porpoise-...

Peace,
Aaron

Aqsurfer - 8-14-2014 at 07:21 PM

Hola Nomads,

September 1 is decision day for the proposed gillnet ban.

National Geographic article from August 13:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/08/140813-vaqui...

Virginia Morell
for National Geographic
PUBLISHED AUGUST 13, 2014

The vaquita, a small porpoise found only in the Gulf of California, is rapidly going extinct, an international team of scientists reported earlier this month.

The researchers say that the marine mammals—whose name means "little cow" in Spanish—are accidentally drowning in the gill nets local fishers deploy for fish and shrimp. A mere 97 vaquitas remain.

Vaquitas are shy creatures, and rarely seen, except when they're pulled to the surface—dead—in nets. They've been known to science only since 1958, when three skulls were found on a beach. At the time, it was thought that they numbered in the low thousands. Scientists and fishers alike say the animals, with their pretty facial markings ("they look like they're wearing lipstick and mascara," one scientist said) and sleek bodies, are endearing.

There's danger now that the porpoises will become the second cetacean (the first was the baiji, or Chinese river dolphin) to succumb to human pressures, most likely disappearing forever by 2018.

"It's a complete disappointment for everybody, because we've all been working hard to turn this around, and the [Mexican] government has addressed this from the highest level possible," said Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho, a cetacean conservation specialist at Mexico's Commission of Natural Protected Areas and a member of the team.

Indeed, the Mexican government established a presidential commission on vaquita conservation in 2012, when scientists estimated the porpoise's population at 200.

Map of Gulf of California showing the range of the vaquita porpoise, along with the vaquita reserve, nearby biosphere reserve, and proposed gill-net exclusion zone.
MAGGIE SMITH, NG STAFF. SOURCES: INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR THE RECOVERY OF THE VAQUITA; IUCN; UNEP-WCMC
Failing Measures

To stem the vaquitas' decline, in 2005 Mexico created a refuge for them, banned all commercial fishing in the refuge's waters, beefed up enforcement, and invested more than $30 million (U.S.) to compensate fishers and encourage them to switch to other fishing methods.

It also established the international scientific team to monitor the porpoise's population, reproductive rates, and habitat. Its members hail from such august conservation bodies as the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the International Whaling Commission, the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission, and Norway's Institute of Marine Research.

All were optimistic then. "We thought we were going to see the vaquitas' numbers increasing by 4 percent a year," said Barbara Taylor, a marine biologist with the Southwest Fisheries Science Center in San Diego, California, and a member of the team. "Instead, they've had a catastrophic decline of 18.5 percent per year."

Chinese Demand—But Not for Vaquitas

That decline, Rojas-Bracho said, is "all due to illegal fishing that is out of control."

In the past three years, illegal gillnetting for the totoaba, a critically endangered fish that can grow to more than six feet long (1.8 meters) and 300 pounds (136 kilograms), has surged. Unfortunately, the porpoise and the similarly sized totoaba live in the same parts of the gulf.

The totoaba's swim bladder, highly prized as a traditional health food and medicine in China, can fetch thousands of dollars. Few fishers can resist the temptation.

"It's like trying to control traffic while someone's throwing money from the Empire State Building," said Rojas-Bracho, who learned of the extent of this illegal take from several fishers who are also on the presidential commission.

The team estimates that about 435 miles (700 kilometers) of legal nets are in the water every day during the fishing season, from mid-September to mid-June. "And that's not counting the illegal nets for the totoaba," Taylor says.

Last-Ditch Solution

Because of the vaquita's timid nature (a sighting at 300 feet [90 meters] is considered close), scientists can't make visual counts of the animals. They rely instead on an array of special acoustic devices, deployed every year before the fishing season begins (they too are easily tangled in the nets), to record the sounds of the animals as they forage in the murky waters they favor. From these sounds, the researchers are able to estimate the vaquitas' numbers.

Because the animal's population is so low, the team says there is only one solution: Ban all gillnetting in the gulf's upper regions, including the waters surrounding the vaquitas' refuge. The ban must be strictly applied, even to the legal shrimp and fin fish fishery, and enforced with more police patrols on sea and land.

"It's a hard choice," Taylor acknowledges. Such a ban will hurt all the fishers, including those who aren't engaged in the illegal fishery. But, she said, if Mexico doesn't do that, it "will lose the vaquita."

Rojas-Bracho said that Mexico, China, and the United States governments also need to work together to control—if not end—the trade in totoaba swim bladders. The dried bladders are often smuggled across the U.S. border before ending up in the Chinese marketplace.

There is a modicum of hope. Even at only 97 animals (25 of them believed to be females of reproductive age), the species can still be saved, Taylor believes. "Most marine mammals, including other cetaceans, that have been taken down through hunting have come back, so it's not too late. But if nothing is done, they can also go extinct rapidly, as happened with the baiji. They can be gone before you know it."

The commission will meet again at the end of August to discuss what to do next to save the vaquita.

worldsaquarium - 8-20-2014 at 02:13 PM

Thanks for the accurate info Aaron! Last Ocotober I spend 5 days in San Felipe working on a special report about La Vaquita. Here is the story I posted, http://sancarlos.tv/in-search-of-la-vaquita-marina/,

The video is finished and is uploading at the moment and I will post the link when it is done. The Mexican government can still save La Vaquita Marina and I would like to share a few things I have learned over the last 8 months researching Vaquita.

First off no animal every went extinct because of a lack of genetic diversity. Several vaquita researchers have told me that the population has always had relatively low numbers so a small population should not be an issue.

As for the damning of the Colorado there is no doubt it destroyed the delta but all researchers I spoke with did not believe that was a real issue for Vaquita.

The real issue is quite simple and Aaron has done a wonderful job of explaining it but there is one thing that should be mentioned. Vaquita populations will be in jeporady for decades; so a 3 to 5 year complete ban on gill nets is not going to be the answer. Gill nets have to go away for ever, period!

The current guys in charge of Profepa down in San Felipe need to be sacked and new people installed and a serious amount of money spend on enforcement. It will also take a 24/7 navy presence in the area and constant monitoring using the best radar that they have to make sure pangas can no longer go out at night set their nets in darkness, leave them for 2 days and then retrieve them at night. That activity must be stopped immediately.

It won't be easy but it is doable, the world will be watching closely on this one and we will be posting many interviews over the next month.

Good luck Vaquitas!!

Mexitron - 8-20-2014 at 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by worldsaquarium
Thanks for the accurate info Aaron! Last Ocotober I spend 5 days in San Felipe working on a special report about La Vaquita. Here is the story I posted, http://sancarlos.tv/in-search-of-la-vaquita-marina/,

The video is finished and is uploading at the moment and I will post the link when it is done. The Mexican government can still save La Vaquita Marina and I would like to share a few things I have learned over the last 8 months researching Vaquita.

First off no animal every went extinct because of a lack of genetic diversity. Several vaquita researchers have told me that the population has always had relatively low numbers so a small population should not be an issue.

As for the damning of the Colorado there is no doubt it destroyed the delta but all researchers I spoke with did not believe that was a real issue for Vaquita.

The real issue is quite simple and Aaron has done a wonderful job of explaining it but there is one thing that should be mentioned. Vaquita populations will be in jeporady for decades; so a 3 to 5 year complete ban on gill nets is not going to be the answer. Gill nets have to go away for ever, period!

The current guys in charge of Profepa down in San Felipe need to be sacked and new people installed and a serious amount of money spend on enforcement. It will also take a 24/7 navy presence in the area and constant monitoring using the best radar that they have to make sure pangas can no longer go out at night set their nets in darkness, leave them for 2 days and then retrieve them at night. That activity must be stopped immediately.

It won't be easy but it is doable, the world will be watching closely on this one and we will be posting many interviews over the next month.

Good luck Vaquitas!!

Thanks for the good info, they just need to stop gillnetting in the upper gulf entirely....how many fisherman are being affected? Not many I bet at this point. Besides, if the gov't does nothing then they will be out of work soon anyway, if things keep going in the same direction.

Re--the small gene pool---I can think of a few czarist genetic pools that were suffering from too few outside progeny :lol:

The Condor program had so few individuals left to work with they had to be quite proactive to prevent inbreeding. Though don't know how you could control that with dolphins anyway.

worldsaquarium - 8-20-2014 at 03:07 PM

As far as the shrimp fishery goes there are around 350 permits out there for pangas to shrimp fish and only 48 of those boats have started the reconversion process to the new trawl nets and out of the 48 only one guy that I know of, who is interviewed in the video, actually has the gear on his boat. Chalunga is the guys name and he has an enormous beard and everyone jokes down there that he looks like Osama Bin Laden.

David K - 8-20-2014 at 04:22 PM

Thank you and welcome to Nomad, worldsaquarium!

worldsaquarium - 8-20-2014 at 11:04 PM

thanks for the welcome, here is the link to our Vaquita video

http://worldsaquarium.com/blog/100-vaquita-marinas-are-all-t...

Sure hope the Feds will ban gill nets asap!!

mulegemichael - 8-21-2014 at 04:09 PM

redhill; right on!

worldsaquarium - 8-22-2014 at 01:27 PM

there is a petition on change.org that can be signed on behalf of La Vaquita, here is the link

https://www.change.org/p/prevent-the-extinction-of-the-vaqui...

Many are waiting impatiently to find out what the Mex Gov position will be but there are already the whispers of a boycott starting to be heard in the back ground.